Movies & Menu: Birthday edition

It’s my birthday week and I’m struggling to pick a movie to watch that fits my mood. I had hoped to have something picked by now to share here, but alas, the inspiration has not come.

Sixteen Candles (1984), 20th Century Fox

The film to watch that first comes to mind is Sixteen Candles (1984). It is the quintessential birthday film. John Hughes films are usually a good choice, but I’m not eager to reminisce about my teenage angst right now. While not excited to be turning older, I’m certainly happy with being in my 30’s than my teens. Perhaps I’ll make this the back up for now.

While exploring my options, I found a website that tells you what film was #1 at the box office on the day you were born. Mine: E.T. The Extraterrestrial. It also happens to be the film I always reference when people want to know how old I am. I didn’t see it until I was five or six years-old and I had nightmares for weeks about E.T. living under my bed and the scary men in white puffy spacesuits coming to take my family. Luckily, like most nightmares, this never actually happened. This film could be a decent option to revisit. (Also, the price of a movie ticket then: $2.94!)

Junior (1994), Universal Pictures

I remembered going to the movies for my birthday one year with a group of friends. We saw Junior (1994). I don’t remember much of this movie other than it being terrible. The film was an attempt to play off of the success of Twins (1988), reuniting director Ivan Reitman with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The plot: the Terminator agrees to be the test subject in an experiment and becomes pregnant. Yeah…NOT going to watch that. (Just for fun, I’ve posted the trailer below. It’s painful. The flute in that score! Oh my ears!)

So readers, I’m curious to hear from you. What movie do you typically like to watch around your birthday and why? What film pairs best with your birthday (cup)cake? Let’s discuss!